LifeBook P5000 ultraportable notebook

Review:
For whatever reason, this year I really wanted to try the smallest and lightest notebooks out. While this one wasn't the lightest notebook, it was the smallest. Almost every feature imaginable is packed into this tiny frame of a notebook. Your shoulder will thank you for only having to carry around a x-pound notebook.

One of the gripes about ultraportable notebooks is a lack of an optical drive. Thankfully, the good folks at Fujitsu PC have included a DVD drive with this model, so you can watch the DVD on the airplane if you want. The 10.4-inch screen display is a little smaller than we're used to on our notebooks, but it's big enough, and in a wide-screen (meaning it's wider than it is tall) format.

There's plenty of extra expansion ports (two USB 2.0 ports, a 1394 (aka FireWire) port, slots for Memory Stick PRO, Secure Digital and Compact Flash cards, and a PCMCIA slot. The device also has integrated Ethernet and a modem port for broadband or dial-up connectivity. But you'll probably end up using the integrated 802.11b wireless connectivity, which makes connecting to a Wi-Fi network very easy.

My only gripe with the device is that the keyboard is very, very tiny. In addition, keys like the period and comma are even smaller than a normal key (about 3/4 the size). This made typing in Web URLs more difficult, and I had a lot of typos when typing with the device.

If that bothers you, you could always add a USB-enabled keyboard and mouse (if you hate the touch-pad), and the extra weight would equal your normal laptop's weight.

If you like going small, take a look at what Fujitsu PC is offering this year. Your shoulder will thank you.

Reviewed by Keith Shaw